’An opponent from the Ant Realm!’
Lin Kang flicked his wrist and snorted with contempt. "It was just a handshake. What’s with the hesitation? Did you think you could read my palm or something?"
He rolled his shoulders and neck, the bones cracking audibly. His feet shifted slightly apart as he sank his center of gravity and slowly raised his fists.
"The Iron Wire Fist emphasizes flexibility within its power, with punches that travel in a single, straight line." Lin Kang grinned. "Today, I’ll show you what that really means."
Below the platform, a sizable crowd had gathered, their faces full of anticipation for the show.
"The Iron Wire Fist... I’ve heard of that one. It’s considered an excellent technique among Mid-grade Boxing Skills."
"You can find it in the Library Pavilion for forty Contribution Points. That’s double the price of other Mid-grade Techniques."
"Is Lin Kang really planning to use a newly cultivated Fist Technique against Lin Yan? Isn’t he underestimating his opponent a bit?"
"Just because the Iron Wire Fist is in the Library Pavilion doesn’t mean Lin Kang just started cultivating it. Most of our branches don’t have much contact with the main family, but that doesn’t mean none of them do... Or maybe when the ancestor of Lin Kang’s line left the main family, he had already learned the Iron Wire Fist and passed it down through the generations."
"That makes sense. I was thinking too narrowly. In that case, it looks like Lin Kang of the Fourth Branch has a much better chance of winning."
As the crowd was chattering, Lin Zhaowu and the others arrived. Their appearance drew the attention of the onlookers, especially the members of the Fourth Branch who had rushed over after hearing the news.
"Lin Kang, hold on. Since the people from the Third Branch have all come out, why don’t we schedule a few more matches?"
"Haha, Brother Chengyu must be afraid that after Brother Kang beats Lin Yan, the rest of the Third Branch will be too terrified to accept any more challenges. That’s why he wants to book the fights in advance."
"Can’t be helped. The Third Branch has been acting like cowards lately, hiding in their courtyard and refusing to come out."
The members of the Fourth Branch were merciless with their mockery. Lin Zhaowu and his group looked utterly humiliated, especially with members of other branches watching. In their hearts, they resented the Fourth Branch, but they also began to resent Lin Yan.
’If it weren’t for Lin Yan,’ they thought, ’we wouldn’t have had to show up today, and we wouldn’t be getting humiliated by the Fourth Branch in front of everyone.’
"Chengyu, the Third Branch is full of powerful people," Lin Kang said with a smirk. "Even if I defeat one of their members, it’s not like they’ll be scared witless. Let me go first."
Lin Kang chuckled to himself. ’Only an idiot wouldn’t make a move now. If I let Lin Chengyu go first, what if this Lin Yan gets scared and backs out?’
’This kind of arranged duel has no binding contract. As long as Lin Yan steps off the Combat Platform, I can’t touch him anymore.’
"Let’s go!"
With a sharp cry, Lin Kang moved.
He stomped his right foot hard on the ground, the stone platform letting out a dull THUD. Like a pouncing leopard, he twisted at the waist and his right fist shot out from his side.
The fist traveled in a single, straight line!
The punch was as straight as an arrow, without the slightest curve. It tore through the air with a sharp hiss, heading straight for Lin Yan’s chest.
The essence of the Iron Wire Fist was that a straight line is the shortest path, and its power is the purest. There were no flashy moves—only speed, precision, and ruthlessness.
A slight smirk was already forming on Lin Kang’s lips. He had put ninety percent of his strength into this punch. Even if Lin Yan managed to dodge it, he would be trapped by the flurry of attacks that followed.
However, Lin Yan did not dodge.
Not only did he not dodge, but he even took a step forward.
Against Lin Kang, Lin Yan had no intention of using his Stone Waist Thunder Ridge. Instead, he used the Thunder Sound Technique to regulate his Inner Breath and stimulate his Qi Blood, then initiated the Mountain-Splitting Fist: Mountain Collapse!
Imbued with the Thunder Force refined by the Thunder Sound Technique, his fist sent a series of explosive cracks through the air as it advanced.
Down below, among the many spectators enjoying the show, the expressions of several people shifted the moment Lin Yan threw his punch.
Everyone present was at least a Third-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artist. Just from the aura of Lin Yan’s punch, they could tell its power was in no way inferior to Lin Kang’s.
"Looks like we misjudged him. No wonder he dared to accept the challenge. I thought he was just goaded into it, but it turns out he actually has the strength to back it up."
Someone in the crowd murmured.
"Maybe this time, the Fourth Branch tried to be clever and it’s going to backfire on them."
While the crowd was chattering, the two fists on the platform finally collided.
BANG!
The instant their fists met, a visible shockwave of air erupted from the point of impact and spread outwards.
Lin Kang felt as if he had punched an iron mountain. His Fist Force was shattered instantly and completely. A numbing sensation shot through his entire arm from fingertip to shoulder, and the webbing of his thumb split open, splattering blood.
"Impossible!"
His pupils contracted. ’How could Lin Yan be this strong?’
’If he had this kind of power, how could the Third Branch have failed to win a single match last time he represented them?’
But Lin Yan gave him no chance to recover.
He stepped forward with his right foot and threw two consecutive punches, left then right. Each punch was heavier and faster than the last.
The first punch slammed into Lin Kang’s right shoulder with an audible CRACK of bone.
The second punch blasted into Lin Kang’s chest, shredding his robes and sending a spray of blood from his mouth.
The third punch...
Before the third punch could even land, Lin Kang’s feet had left the ground. He flew backward, slammed hard onto the stone surface of the Combat Platform, rolled twice, and lay there, motionless.
From the moment Lin Kang attacked to the moment Lin Yan sent him flying, only two breaths had passed.
Just three punches.
A dead silence fell over the crowd below the platform.
After several long breaths, someone finally gasped sharply.
"H-How could he be so strong?"
"Three punches! Just three punches! Lin Kang didn’t even have a chance to fight back!"
"Did you hear that thunder? What kind of Fist Technique was that?"
"That Thunder Sound didn’t come from a Fist Technique. That was the Thunder Sound Technique. This man has successfully cultivated the Thunder Sound Technique."
In the crowd, a few youths who had been watching with relaxed expressions from the start now wore serious looks.

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